Agincourt ‘myth’

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Evidence for the invention of the longbow is inconclusive: records suggest that the best “English” longbows were made of Italian yew

Sir, With the 600th anniversary of Agincourt fast approaching, perhaps now is
an appropriate time to inject a note of historical caution into the myths
which surround it (letter,
Oct 27). I suggest that the role of Welsh archers at Agincourt has been
overplayed in the popular imagination. The evidence for the “invention” of
the longbow — in Wales or elsewhere — is inconclusive and the records
suggest that the best “English” longbows were actually manufactured from
Italian yew.

The myth of the Welsh archer at Agincourt, however, is at best an exaggeration
of reality. It may originate from Fluellen, in

Sir, As a former council member and examiner for the Royal College of
Organists, may I endorse the proposal (letter,
Feb 28) that provision be made for a world-class pipe organ in a new
City of London concert hall